Reversible-gear driving mechanism.



J. NESWOLD.

REVERSIBLE GEAR DRIVING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.25, 1910.

1,052,010 Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A W FF L Fig.1

AHIIIIIIIUIH u j 20 /4 -"I|l W g IIIIIIII I Wi wam m UNITED STATES Parana? OFFICE.

JOHN NESWOLD, or ST. raonfmnvnnso'ra.

REVERSIBLE-GEAR DRIVING MECHABl'ISM.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN NEswoLn, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversible-Gear Driving Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to washingmachines of the type wherein a drum is given several rotations, first in one direction, and then in the other.

The invention is directed primarily to the. provision of improved mechanism for imparting such rotary movements to the drum In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings; Figure 1 is a plan'-view,,showing awashing machine of .thetype indicated, provided with my improved .reverse motion driving mechanism. Fig.2 is a view, partly in side elevation, and partly "in section on the line :2 m of Fig. 1, some-parts being broken away. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan. view showing the clutch andclutch reversing device of the driving mechanism. Fig. i is a detail in vertical section, taken on the line a) xi of Fig.',3.

The tank 1 of the washing machine, as shown, is provided with a semi-cylindrical bottom and a rectangular upper portion, the said 'tank being supported by suitable legs 2.

The drum 3, which is adapted to contain the clothes, is provided with an open peripheral shell, as shown, made up of transverse circumferentially spaced slits, and the said drum is provided with a hinged peripheral door 4, normally held in a closed position by a turn button or latch, not shown. The heads or slide. of the drum are provided with axially projecting trunnions 5 journaled. as shown. in' open. approximately U-shaped bearings 6, secured to the sides of the tank 1. One of the trunnions 5 is secured to and projects from a relatively Specification of Letters Iatent.

Application filed March 25, 1910. Serial No. 551,531.

Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

the drum and normally in mesh with the spur pinion 8 secured to the inner end'of an annular gear frame 9 that is rigidly secured to the adjacent side of the tank 1.

Within the annular bearing 9 a pair of reversely beveled gears 10 are loosely journaled on the clutch shaft 9", and are in mesh with an intermediate bevel gear 11 secured to the inner end of a counter shaft 12 journaled to the said bearing 9 and in another bearing 13 secured to the tank 1. A. flanged drive wheel 14 is loosely journaled on the outer end of the counter shaft 12, and, as shown, is provided with an operating crank 15, by means of which the machine may be run by hand power. As an improved feature of my invention, this drive wheel 14 is connected to the counter shaft 12, by a friction device that acts with a clutch shaft 9 journaled, as shown, in

tion to the drum, at all times except at the initial reverse movements ofthe drun1 at which time there will be sufficient slippage to prevent stripping at the gear teeth. This friction device. as shown, comprises an arm rigidly secured to the counter shaft 12 and provided at its free end wit-h an outwardly spring pressed friction block or shoe that. is pressed into constant en agement with the interior surface of the flange of .the drive wheel 11-. Rigidly secured to the"interme,- diateportion of the counter shaft 12 is a worm 18 that meshes with a worm-gear 19 journaled to a suitable bearing afforded by a projection 20. The gear 19 carries a tripping lug 21, located on opposite sides of the said gear, at diametrically opposite points.

Mounted to the slide on, but to rotate with, the clutch shaft 9*, between the gears 10, is a double ended clutch sleeve 22, the toothed ends of which are adapted to'be alternately engaged with the half-clutches 23 and.the hubs of the said gears 10.

The two bevel gears 10 are, of course. constantly driven in reverse directions, and the drum 3 will be rotated in the one direction or the other according to whether the sliding clutch 22 is engaged with the inner or'the' outer wheel 10. This shifting of the said clutch may be accomplished automatilit - clutch member 22, in eit er cally and intermittently at such intervals that the drum 3 will be given preferably about three rotations, first in the one direction and then in the other. The clutch shifting device proper comprises, in addition to the worm 18 anda worm gear 19, already described, a shipper lever 24: and two trip rods 25. The lever 24 is, by a bolt 26, intermediately pivoted to a projection of the bearing 9, and it is provided with three arms, the intermediate of which works in an annular groove of the clutch sleeve 22; The other two arms of the said lever are pivotally connected to the adjacent ends of the trip rods 25 and the other ends of the said trip rods workthrough a guide bracket 27 secured to the bearing 9. 'The free ends of the trip rods 25 are' so positioned that they are adapted to be'engaged in succession, one by each of the trip lugs 21 of the worm wheel 19, when the said wheel is rotated in the direction of the arrow marked adjacent thereto on Fig. 2. If, however, the gear 19 be rotated in a reverse direction, the trip rods will simply be pressed downward thereby, this downward, movement being permitted lo a device best shown in Fig, 4%, This device, as shown, comprises the small cross bar 28 mounted for vertical movement on a bolt 29 secured to the uide 2'? and yieldingly pressed upward y a coiled spring 30.

Une arm oil the shipper lever 24 is extended, as best shown in Fig. 3, and is provided with. a small anti-friction wheel 31 that engages with a curved spring retaining arm 32, shown as secured at one end to a lug on the bearing 9. The engagement of thewheel 31 with the spring arm 32 serves to hold the shipper lever 2 1 and, hence, the os1t1on in which it may be set, with sufiicient force to prevent accidental or untimely movements of the clutch. I

in the operation of the machine the clothes are, of course, placed within the drum 3, and the tank 1 partly filled with hot suds. Then, by rotation of the drive n wheel l h a rotary motion will be imparted to the drum in a'certain direction, which will continue until about three rotations thereof have been made, at which time one of the lugs 21 of the worm gear 19 will engage with the adjacent end 01: the extended trip rod25, and actin thereon, will cause from. engagement withthe one of thegears 10 into engagement with the other of said tid gears. 'llhls, of course, will reverse the direction of the rotation of the drum. Under continued rotation oi the wheel-'19 in the direction'of the'arrovv, Fig. 2, the trip lugs 21 will alternately engage respective tripping rods 25,*and, hence, an intermittently reverse-action or the clutch mechanism, with noaaoio results above stated. Also, as already indicated, each time the direction of the rotution of the drum is reversed, there will be a slippage between the friction shoe 1'? and the flange of the drive Wheel 14, which will absorb the shock that would otherwise be produced by the reversal of the clutch mechanism. Otherwise stated, the slip connec tion brings the drum to a somewhat adual stop, and gradually imparts the in1tial reverse movement to the drum. In actual practice the eficiency of the mechanism .above described has been demonstrated.

What claimiiszh -w is. J's-Mu r, a 3 1. The combination with rotary driving and driven members, :of intermediate driving connections including a reversing clutch, a shipper; lever for the movable clutchmember, a pair ofireversely acting trip rods operative on said shipper lever, and means operated by said driving member and operative alternately on said trip rods to intermittently shift said clutch.

2. The combination with rotary driving and driven members, of intermediate driving connections including-a reversing clutch, a shipper lever for the movable clutch memher, a pair of reversely acting trip rods operative onsaidushipper lever, .a rotary member drivenfrom sa1d drivin rmeinber and provided vwith trip lugs or is oulders alternately operative, one on each of said trip rods, tointermittentlyshift said clutch.

.ficithecombinationi with rotary driving and driven members, i of intermediate driving connections including a reversing clutch, i

a shippeu levernfon the movable clutch member, a pair ot reversely acting trip rods 1 ing connections including a positively acting motion reversing clutch and a frictional connection the latter serving to permit slippage, thereby preventing shocks due to the reversal of the action of said clutch and the resulting reversal of the direction of rotation of saidldrivenimember.

5. Tlf18 combination with'rotary driving and driven members, of a driven shaft con-- the ,5

nected to said driven member, a driving shaft a beveled driving gear thereon, ire-- v'ersely acting driven beve ed gears, loosely gournaled on said driven shaft and meshing with said driving gear, a reversing clutch V rotatable with said driven shaft and slidable thereon to alternately connect the said driven gears to said driven shaft, a shipper lever operative on sa1d reversmg clutch, a

pair of reversibly acting trip rods connected In testimony whereof I afix my signature to said shipper fltever, a Worm carried by in presence of two Witnesses. said drivin sha and a Worm ear mesh- 7 ing with sal d Worm and provided with trip- JOHN NESWOLD' .3 ping lugs, the free ends of said trip rods I Witnesses:

being yieldingly held in operative positions, HARRY D. GILooRE, substantially as described. F. D. MERCHANT. 

